Steve Irwin Reserve on Cape York protected for future generations

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I welcome the Queensland Government's announcement to declare the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve and Wenlock River on Cape York a strategic environmental area.

Steve Irwin was a larger than life character who had a very personal love of the environment and was a passionate advocate for Australian flora and fauna.

The reserve boasts a mosaic of different ecosystems including a nationally significant rainforest diverse wetlands and species that are not recorded anywhere else in Australia including some threatened species.

This will ensure the protection of one of the most environmentally sensitive areas in Queensland from mining and will continue the legacy of one of Australia's most famous conservationists.

This is a great example of how Government can balance economic development and environmental protection.